E-Cigarettes May Pose Worse Stroke Risk than Smoking

The debate over e-cigarette safety is heated, and it’s far from over. E-cigarettes are just too new for final answers. The data isn’t out there yet. But disagreement and misconceptions abound. The worst part is that, with all the confusion, plenty of people think vaping is virtually harmless when compared to smoking. It’s not.

The debate among health experts is over whether vaping is less harmful, overall, than smoking. What we’re learning is that the answer is complicated. The latest research shows that vaping is worse for brain health and that it may pose a higher risk for stroke severity.

The Study

A recent study, presented at the American Heart Association’s International Stroke Conference 2017, found that e-cigarette vapor produced worse stroke outcomes than cigarette smoke, in mice. While exposure to e-cigarettes and tobacco smoking both reduced anti-coagulant levels, the mice that were exposed to vapor experienced worse stroke outcomes and neurological deficits. Exposure to e-cigarettes also lowered glucose uptake in the brain. The brain’s efficiency in using glucose is closely tied to:

Thinking

Learning

Memory

This was a preliminary study and researchers said that we need more studies.

Other E-Cigarette Dangers

While e-cigarettes do expose users and the people around them to carcinogens, e-cigarettes also pose some safety risks that we didn’t see with traditional cigarettes. Defective e-cigarettes are known to explode, sometimes in users’ mouths, causing serious injuries. The nicotine, which is very poisonous, is in a liquid form that can easily be ingested by children and pets or absorbed through the skin. The fact that it is often flavored makes it even more inviting for children to drink.

With a background as a paralegal, focusing on criminal defense and civil rights, Sandra Dalton launched her freelance writing career in 2000 with a weekly column on Freedom for Suite 101 and pro bono projects for individuals and organizations supporting causes close to her heart. One of her first projects was for the Police Compliant Center writing about police misconduct. Sandra’s legal writing quickly expanded to include personal injury, animal welfare, criminal defense, disability discrimination, family law and much more.

Sandra’s other writing around the web includes a broad range of topics such as food, pet health, feral cats, music and film. Sandra is also a fine art photographer, helps with animal rescue and TNR in her community, and volunteers as a DJ at her local radio station.